As many as ten thousand demonstrators took to the streets of Seattle on May 1, 2017 as part of the 18th Annual May Day marches, demonstrations, and rallies. Anti-war veterans, Black Lives Matter demonstrators, Anonymous & Co., Revolutionary People’s Party, Seattle Antifascists, and more all held marches, demonstrations, and rallies around Seattle. The largest event was the 18th Annual May Day March for Workers and Immigrant Rights, organized by El Comité. Several thousand marchers, including numerous labor organizations such as the Service Employees International Union, the Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters, and many more, marched from Judkins Park in the Central District to Seattle Center. At 11:00 am, music and speeches were given before the march headed westbound down Lane Street. Native Northwestern Hand Drummers joined the Ce Atl Tonalli Aztec Dance group in leading the procession.
May Day (May 1st) has long been known as a day for demonstrations in cities across the United States. May 1, 1886 was the first day of a three day labor strike in Downtown Chicago; three years later, the International Socialist Conference declared the day “International Workers Day”. The history of May Day demonstrations in Seattle can be understood as a continuation of the spirit of the 1999 WTO Protests (“Battle of Seattle”), where at least 40,000 protestors took over downtown Seattle to protest the meeting of the World Trade Organization. Six months after the WTO protest, an internationally coordinated protest was scheduled for May 1, 2000. For the past 18 years, Seattle has held May Day protests, demonstrations, and marches. While the vast majority of participants have engaged in peaceful demonstrations, Seattle’s May Day events have gained a reputation for violence, which has generally been attributed to anarchist and anti-capitalist groups.